Black Lives Matter sign replaced with different message in support of solidarity

A wooden frame has sat empty perched in front of St. Philip's Episcopal Church for months, after a Black Lives Matter sign was defaced in April to read "Lives Matter."

A wooden frame has sat empty in front of St. Philip's Episcopal Church for months, after a Black Lives Matter sign was defaced in April to read "Lives Matter."

A sign with different wording was erected Friday afternoon filling the void, to show solidarity in the wake of violence in Dallas, Louisiana, Minnesota and on Sunday, in Baton Rouge.

Advertisement

Police charged Chari Raye McLean, 56, of Admiral Drive, with two counts of destruction of property for the April 21 vandalism and a December incident in which a sign was removed.

Her trial is scheduled for Monday at the Anne Arundel County District Courthouse in Annapolis. When reached by phone Friday, McLean said she did it because she believes "all lives matter."

Annapolis church leaders hope the new sign, which now says "Dismantle Racism," will better help them accomplish a goal of starting a positive dialogue about racism. Four Annapolis area churches — St. Philip's Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ of Annapolis, Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis and Annapolis Friends Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) — began displaying Black Lives Matter signs last year to that end.

But the banners were frequent targets of theft and vandalism and were eventually removed following the April incident while churches determined whether to put them back up or take a different approach.

Police said on April 21 the word "Black" in the initial sign was covered by spray paint to read "Lives Matter."

The All Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter slogans were formed in response by some who take offense to the slogan.

But local church leaders have said they are misinterpreting the message.

The national movement Black Lives Matter formed in response to the high-profile deaths of young black men, including Freddie Gray, who died while in Baltimore police custody.

"We're trying to make a statement that dismantling racism is not anti-police. We don't want police killed. We don't want African-American people killed," said the Rev. Ryan Sirmons, pastor at the United Church of Christ of Annapolis in Edgewater.

"Racism is an issue. We can't stick our heads in the sand and try to avoid it," said Jane Libby, a member of St. Philip's, a historically black church.

As for McLean, police department spokesman Lt. Ryan Frashure has said detectives and prosecutors from the State's Attorney's Office don't believe her actions were motivated by hate.

"She truly believes all lives matter and doesn't get their message," Frashure said. "There was no hate or prejudice directed toward a religious group or race."